Veronica plant named ‘Royal Rembrandt’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spike speedwell plant,  Veronica  ‘Royal Rembrandt’, with tight mounded habit and stiff freely-branched branched spikes producing violet-purple flowers over a long period beginning early summer and repeating into early fall. Flowers first year from cuttings without vernalization, but vernalization may be beneficial.

Botanical classification: Veronica spicata L.

Variety denomination: ‘Royal Rembrandt’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of spikespeedwell, botanically known as Veronica spicata ‘Royal Rembrandt’, andhereinafter referred to as the cultivar ‘Royal Rembrandt’ or the “newplant”. The new plant was hybridized in the summer of 2012 by theinventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA, withthe proprietary unreleased seedling known only by the breeder code08-64-01B as the female parent and ‘Enchanted Indigo’ U.S. Plant Pat.No. 26,603 as the male parent. The cross was performed on Jun. 29, 2012and the individual seedling that was ultimately named ‘Royal Rembrandt’was identified by the breeder code 12-35-01 throughout the trial period.

The new plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings at thesame nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., since the summer of2014 with subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be identicalto the original selection with all the same traits as the originalseedling.

No plants of Veronica ‘Royal Rembrandt’ have been sold or disclosed bythis or any other name, in this country or anywhere in the world, priorto one year from the filing of this application, with the exception ofthat was sold or disclosed within one year of the filing of thisapplication and which was either derived directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Veronica spicata ‘Royal Rembrandt’ is unique from all other spikespeedwell known to the inventor. Several other cultivars may have somesimilar traits, but this is the only variety known by the inventor tohave the following characteristic combinations that establish the newplant as unique:

-   -   1. Tight mounded habit with stiff spikes above dense mats of        foliage.    -   2. Scapes with numerous flowers of distinctly violet-purple        petals.    -   3. Freely branched peduncles with long blooming season.    -   4. Flowers first year without vernalization from cuttings, but        vernalization may be beneficial.

The closest comparison varieties to the new plant are ‘EnchantedIndigo’, ‘Sunny Border Blue’ (not patented), ‘Goodness Grows’ (notpatented), ‘Atomic Violet’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,780 and ‘Atomic Blue’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,840. The new plant is more upright and has tallerspikes and is also wider than ‘Atomic Blue’ and much taller and widerthan ‘Goodness Grows’. ‘Atomic Violet’ has close to the same height, butabout half the clump width. The flowers of ‘Royal Rembrandt’ is closerto the blue hue than ‘Atomic Violet’ and closer to the violet hue than‘Sunny Border Blue’, ‘Atomic Blue’, ‘Goodness Grows’ and ‘EnchantedIndigo’. Compared with the female parent the new plant has moreviolet-purple flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance andunique traits of ‘Royal Rembrandt’ as a two-year-old plant grown in afull-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant in full flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references of a greenhouse-growntwo-year-old plant of Veronica ‘Royal Rembrandt’ are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. Veronica ‘Royal Rembrandt’ has notbeen observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may varyslightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light,fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any changein the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions arebased on two-year-old plants in the full sun trial garden of a nurseryin Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Veronica spicata;-   Parentage: Female (seed parent) the plant identified by proprietary    breeder code 08-64-01B; male (pollen parent) ‘Enchanted Indigo’;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, with rounded habit, average    50 freely-branched stems, main stems blooming to about 49.0 cm tall    and clumping to about 55 cm across; flowering beginning late June in    Michigan continuing for about 4 to 6 weeks and repeating later in    early fall, especially if deadheaded;-   Leaves: Simple; flat; lanceolate; opposite; serrated margin with    about three to four teeth per one centimeter; glabrous abaxial and    adaxial, acute apex, attenuate base; about 5.2 cm long by 1.2 cm    wide decreasing in both length and width distally;-   Leaf color: Mature leaves adaxial nearest RHS 139A; abaxial nearest    RHS 137B; young expanding leaves nearest RHS 146B abaxial and    adaxial;-   Veins: Reticulate; sparsely micro-puberulent adaxial; glabrate to    glabrous adaxial; abaxial midrib costate, about 1.0 mm across at    abaxial base and about 0.5 mm at adaxial base;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 146D and secondary veins    nearest RHS 139A; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 146D with secondary    veins nearest RHS 137A;-   Petiole: Simple, slightly concaved upward on edges, margin minutely    ciliate; about 3.0 mm long and 2.5 mm wide length shorter and    narrower on distal leaves;-   Petiole color: Adaxial base nearest RHS 146D, distally nearest 139A;    abaxial nearest RNS 137B with base nearest RHS 146C;-   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Convolute, narrowly oblong,    obtuse apex; about 5.8 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Bud color: Nearest RHS 96B with base nearest RHS 85C;-   Flowers: On heavily branched upright spikes in compressed    conglomerate; numerous; zygomorphic; campanulate; approximately 260    per main spike; about 9.0 mm long and about 7.0 mm across; flowers    persist individually for 4 to 6 days whether on the plant or cut;    petals self-cleaning, sepals and style persistent;-   Flower timing: Early to mid-summer and repeating if deadheaded into    early fall;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Petals: Four; one larger petal above and three slightly smaller    below and to either side; simple, entire, fused in basal 3.5 mm;    glabrous abaxial and pubescent with 1.0 mm long white hairs in tuft    band about 1.0 to 2.0 mm from adaxial base; upper larger petal with    acute apex, about 7.0 mm long by 3.0 mm wide; side and lower petals    with acute apex, about 7.0 mm long and 1.5 mm wide;-   Petal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 86A and adaxial nearest RHS 86A    with abaxial and adaxial base lighter than N87D or RHS 85D; with    hairs inside tube white, whiter than RHS 155D;-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Two; divergent; glabrous; epipetalous about 1.0            mm from base; about 5.5 mm long by about 0.25 mm diameter;            color nearest RHS N87A.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, longitudinal; ellipsoid, with acute apex            and rounded base; about 1.5 mm by 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS            83A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm; nearest RHS 4C.-   Gynoecium: Single, superior; persists after petal drop;    -   -   Style.—Straight; attitude mostly outwardly; about 7.0 mm            long and 0.25 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 83B.        -   Stigma.—Globose; finely puberulent; about 0.3 mm in            diameter; color RHS 83A.        -   Ovary.—Spherical to slightly elliptic; about 1.0 mm long and            0.8 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 145B.-   Sepals: Four, surface dull, ovate to narrowly ovate, acute apex,    base fused forming campanulate calyx, puberulent margin; adaxial    glabrous; abaxial nearly microscopically puberulent; about 4.0 mm    long and 1.5 mm across;-   Sepal color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 138A;-   Peduncle: Strong, erect, branched at nodes; terete; puberulent;    flowering portion about 16 cm long, 2.5 cm wide with stem 2.5 mm in    diameter at the base; attitude upwardly; freely branching at distal    nodes; about 7 to 8 nodes before flowers; average internode length    about 2.8 cm;-   Peduncle color: Between RHS 146A and RHS 137C;-   Pedicel: Rigid, about 1.0 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, finely    puberulent; attitude mostly outwardly;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 138A;-   Bract: One, subtending each flower, linear; acute apex; margin    entire; sessile, based sessile, attenuate; proximal bracts about 5.0    mm long and 1.0 mm wide decreasing distally;-   Bract color: Adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS 137B;-   Fruit: Ellipsoid, rounded apex and base; about 3.1 mm long and 2.5    mm across; color between RHS 166A and RHS 166B;-   Propagation: The plant roots from cuttings in about 2 weeks and    finishes to flowering in a 3.8 liter container in 8 to 10 weeks    following a vernalization period of about 8 weeks, but vernalization    not required to flower;-   Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant grows best with    plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate    some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4    through 9. Disease and pest resistance beyond what is typical of    that of other spike speedwell has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spikespeedwell plant, Veronica ‘Royal Rembrandt’, as herein described andillustrated.